While waiting for Maggie to say her first word, Homer and Marge tell the story of their life after Bart was born (where they lived in an apartment in a neighborhood that looks like it was from the early 20th century rather than the mid-1980s), how Homer, Marge, and Bart moved into their current house, the early days of Bart and Lisa bonding, and Homer winning Krusty Burger's 1984 Olympics promotion due to a technicality.

!!This episode contains examples of:* AluminumChristmasTrees: Modern audiences (at least the ones who weren't around when it really happened) might not realize that the Krusty Burger Olympic promotion and the subsequent financial backfiring due to the Soviet boycotting of the Games was based on a ''real'' UsefulNotes/McDonalds promotion that had the same results.* BindleStick: Bart is seen with one while intending to run away from home.* BottleEpisode: Of the "[[WholeEpisodeFlashback Flashback Episode]]" variety. Aside from the flashbacks, the episode takes place in the Simpsons house with the main family.* ContinuitySnarl: Krusty the Clown is shown to be literate in this episode, yet in ''Krusty Gets Busted'', an episode that, in-universe, occurred eight years after the events of this one, Krusty openly said that he was illiterate.* CultureChopSuey: With the exception of the popular culture of the time, 1980s Springfield looks and acts like 1930s Brooklyn.* DidntThinkThisThrough: Clearly, Krusty should have thought of that promotion a little more before greenlighting it, much like the company behind the one it parodies should have.* DoesNotLikeSpam: Krusty Burger's product is so bad, even ''Krusty himself'' hates it. Doing a commercial for it makes him ''gag'' in disgust, spitting the burger out as soon as the director says "cut".* TheEighties: The setting of the flashbacks. It was a time when, as Marge tells her kids, "Ms. Pacman struck a blow for women's rights, a young [[Series/SaturdayNightLive Joe Piscopo]] taught us how to laugh..." As the flashback begins, Marge is talking with Irish and Italian housewives about the last episode of ''M*A*S*H'', and Homer sings "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" as he comes home from work. Later, the 1984 Summer Olympics provide a B-plot.* ExactWords: Krusty Burger is the "official ''meat-flavored sandwich''" of the Olympics. Note that there's nothing in there about it actually being made of meat. * TheGhost: Homer has a cousin named Frank who [[{{Transsexual}} became Francine]] in 1976, then joined a cult and now goes by the name of "Mother Shabubu" -- all because he slept with his parents (not sexually) until he was 21.* {{Hypocrite}}: Krusty markets and advertises a product that even he himself is disgusted by.* IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace: As it turns out, the Simpsons' house is located in what is apparently known as "The Rat's Nest," which includes a house that's part of a crime scene, a nice house near a rendering plant, a houseboat, and a house full of cats.* MadnessMantra: "Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me. [[RuleOfThree Can't sleep, clown will eat me...]]"* MonsterClown: The headboard of Bart's new bed, thanks to Homer's poor work (though compared to the other crap he's built, the monster clown headboard actually looks good), looks like one to the viewer, and even more so to the poor toddler.** "If you should die before you wake...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"* MortonsFork: Related to the above point; you can tell [[MonsterClown a clown is scary]] when it makes a little kid ''not'' want to go home.-->'''Bart''': ''(already homesick and not getting on well with the IncrediblyLameFun-having Flanders kids)'' I want to go home. ''(looks out the window and sees the clown bed; becomes terrified)'' No I don't!* OffModel: Sideshow Bob has Sideshow Mel's hair color (greenish-blue) in the commercial for the Krusty Burger giveaway. While it can be handwaved that it's a wig or he had to dye his hair for the show, it actually contradicts with the season one episodes (up until "Krusty Gets Busted") where Sideshow Bob had his own hair (red). The writers on the DVD commentary point out that Sideshow Bob's hair being greenish-blue instead of red was a coloring mistake.** Krusty's beard switches from pink to brown when he has his mental breakdown over his lost money in the sweepstakes.** The showrunners admitted to simply tinting the scene of baby Bart swinging naked on the clothes line for the "night" portion of the scene. * OverlyLongGag: "From now on, the baby sleeps in the crib." "Iron helps us play!" "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" "Hello, Joe!"** Note that it's actually played ''twice'' in a naked attempt to pad the episode out, which the writers admitted to doing in the DVD commentary.* PetHeir: While house hunting, Homer and Marge visit a house full of cats. After Homer says, "Once we get the cats out of the way, it won't be so bad," the realtor explains that according to the will of the previous owner, the cats technically own the house now--Homer, Marge and their kids would actually be their tenants. After hearing this, Bart and Lisa both expressed a wish to be living in the "kitty house" (as Lisa called it), and Bart says that he could've trained the cats to be his "unholy army of the night."* PrimalScene: PlayedForLaughs -- When Bart was still in diapers (but able to walk), he accidentally walked in Homer and Marge having sex, which led his first words, "Ay caramba!"** [[FridgeBrilliance That may have been when Homer and Marge first conceived Lisa.]]* SanitySlippage: Bart after Homer makes him that hideous clown bed, and later Krusty when he loses $44 ''million'' dollars thanks to the Soviet boycott.* TheScapegoat: Bart was initially okay with the idea of having a baby sibling because he thought said potential sibling could've been used as a prop or someone to pass blame on when he misbehaved. But as it turned out, no such luck.* SpannerInTheWorks: Krusty Burger's Olympic promotion centers around printing game cards for different events. If America wins a gold medal in the event printed on the game card, participants can redeem the card for a free Krusty Burger. However, the cards are rigged in that they'e only for events that Communists never lose in. Krusty is initially happy with the idea...at least until he learns that the Soviets have decided to boycott the games. His accountant then calculates that Krusty himself personally stands to lose '''$44 million dollars''' on the promotion. * TakeThat: Krusty Burger's promotion is very similar to one UsefulNotes/McDonalds had in 1984, which ended in a similar disaster. * TemptingFate: While discussing his promotion, one of Krusty's aides promises him that all the events chosen are ones the Soviets ''never'' lose. Cue a telegram about the boycott.* WhamLine: "Daddy." - said by Maggie just after Homer leaves her room.----